Myriophyllum spicatum

CONTAIN

Family: Haloragaceae (Water-milfoil).

Other Common Names: None.

Origin: Eurasia and Africa.

Growth Form/Reproduction: Perennial. Seeds but mostly spreads vegetatively from rhizomes and plant fragments.

Legal: Community Charters Act.

Habitat: Adapted to disturbed lake beds and slow-moving streams with alkaline soils and a high concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon. Lakes, ponds, reservoirs, slow-moving rivers and streams.

Impacts:
Agricultural: Eurasian water-milfoil can impede drainage and irrigation systems.
Ecological: Dense canopies of Eurasian water-milfoil adversely impact aquatic ecosystems by shading out native vegetation and providing poor habitat for fish and waterfowl. Decay of high amounts of biomass at the end of the growing season creates problems with water quality.
Human: Interferes with recreational activities such as boating, swimming and fishing.

Status and Distribution: Eurasian Water-milfoil has been reported in the Capital, Cowichan Valley, Comox Valley and Mount Waddington Regional Districts. It is present in the CDFmm and CWHmm.

Management Strategy: Eradicate or contain existing populations where feasible. Awareness and prevention are probably the best practices presently given the limited distribution of the plant in the CIPC area. Localized cultural control can be obtained around docks and swimming areas by laying down opaque barriers on the sediment. Mechanical control with machinery has been used with limited success.